Ashleigh never quite belonged in the ordinary world.

Growing up in Birch Lake, her closest friends weren't the other children in town. They were the animals that seemed to understand her, the faeries hidden among the trees, the nymphs nestled in flowers, and the centaurs who listened when no one else would. But eventually, Ashleigh left Birch Lake—and the magic she once believed in—behind.

Now her parents have vanished without a trace.

Returning to her childhood home in search of answers, Ashleigh discovers an even stranger mystery waiting for her. The magical friends who once filled the woods have disappeared too. Yet unexplained shimmers appear in the darkness, something moves just beyond her windows, and impossible little clues suggest that perhaps the magic never left at all.

Then there's Investigator Viktor Wilde, the handsome newcomer assigned to her parents' case. He's asking questions Ashleigh isn't sure she wants to answer—and making it increasingly difficult to remember why getting involved with him would be a terrible idea.

As the mysteries of Birch Lake begin to intertwine, Ashleigh must uncover what happened to her parents, where her childhood friends have gone, and why the animals—and perhaps the magic itself—have always been drawn to her.

Coming home was supposed to give Ashleigh answers. Instead, Birch Lake is about to show her just how much she never knew.

✨ HOPE RISING ✨

A Cozy Fantasy Novel by Kim Brown

Tammy goes to sleep expecting another ordinary day.

Instead, she wakes in a silent forest with no idea where she is—or how to get home.

Beyond the trees lies Hope Rising, a seemingly perfect community built on peace, equality, and order. Tammy is given a new name—Celeste —a new home, a new purpose…and a long list of rules she is expected to obey.